Between a rock and a hard place
by LovelyLytton
Summary: Venus doesn't like living by other people's rules. Kunzite however does. SilMil.


**Between a rock and a hard place**

"I need a favour."

Kunzite looked up from the map he'd been staring at for the last ten minutes only to find the leader of Serenity's guard leaning against his doorway. She had a rather too happy expression on her face, and in his experience, this didn't bode well. Rolling the map up and storing it on a shelf, he shook his head.

"I don't think so."

"You don't even know what I'm asking for!"

Remembering that the last time he had helped Venus, it had ended with Mars setting him on fire and Mercury coming to his rescue with her planetary attack, Kunzite stood his ground. "Whichever it is, the answer is no."

Affronted, Venus crossed her arms in front of her chest. "Fine, then I'll just ask Nephrite or Jadeite to accompany me to the Ambassador's Ball. Jadeite's a better dancer than you anyway."

Not rising to the bait, Kunzite's face remained impassive. "You're not going to the Ambassadors Ball, you're not invited."

"Oh, I'm not?"

"No, it's only for ambassadors to Earth, and since the Moon Kingdom is very firm on not letting Earth join the Silver Alliance, neither you nor your princess can attend," he explained, a fake air of patience surrounding him. "If you want to dance with Nephrite or Jadeite, you will have to wait until the ball is over and then you are at liberty to do so in the privacy of their respective rooms. But please, limit yourself to one of my men. Everything else would be tasteless, even for you."

Still leaning against the doorway, Venus tipped her index finger against her full lips and smiled.

"Well, that's interesting. Because the last time I checked, the kingdom of Venus had decided to enter diplomatic negotiations with Earth, culminating in the exchange of very high ranking ambassadors, something you would be aware of had you not chosen to hide in your chambers to brood. And now, dear Kunzite, guess who Venus's ambassador to Earth is... And thank your for treating me like a dirty whore, it's always so very refreshing."

Kunzite half-turned towards her, and there was a trace of panic in his eyes. "This isn't funny."

"I know it's not. Queen Selenity knows it's not. Even Endymion knows it's not, and your prince isn't the sharpest tool in the drawer."

"Are you saying that you went above your Queen's head and entered negotiations on your own?"

"No. Yes. Maybe. Who knows."

He quickly strode over to her and pulled her out of the doorway and into his room, slamming the door behind them closed, his mind racing. They could still turn this around; he would have to speak with Endymion, Venus would have to hurry back to the Moon, and perhaps, just perhaps, the Queen would forgive her. "Why would you do that, Venus? Are you out of your mind? That's practically high treason."

Tossing her hair over her shoulder, she snorted. "You know why I did it. And it certainly wasn't so that Jadeite would take me to that stupid ball. Kunzite, I want to make us work, but let's be honest, living on two different planets is not exactly becoming to our relationship."

Torn between wanting to kiss or to slap her, he released his grip on her arm. She knew how to push his buttons, she had known it from the start. "It's not worth it, Venus."

Her eyes narrowed in anger. "Fine. I'll go and pack my things, leave you and your planet behind and then you can continue to pretend that you don't love me."

"That's not what I said, you foolish girl." He refrained from adding that he knew that she wouldn't do that, her triumph of finally being here in her own right rather than as Serenity's shadow was too big to let go.

"I'm not a girl, I'm a woman. You yourself took care of that about six years ago."

"Don't be crude. And now go to the Queen and apologise. She will let you return to the Moon."

"I don't want to return to the Moon, I want to stay here on Earth. With you."

"You don't have a place here."

Stubbornly, she tried to stare him down, failing on a grand scale. "I thought I just made myself one."

"You can't just enter negotiations with another planet because you feel like it," he stated in an exasperated manner.

"What do you know about that, anyway? You don't even have your own planet, and yet here you stand, lecturing me on my duties and rights as a ruler."

"I may not have a planet, but I do rule a country, so I damn well know what I'm talking about." And there it was, his temper finally showing. Kunzite knew that despite his best efforts, Venus had yet again managed to chip away a piece of mental armour, laying another weakness of himself bare for her to see. Her smile returned, all traces of bitterness gone. "You're too proud, it makes wounding your ego far too easy."

"You're impossible."

"No, I'm impossibly in love with you. That's a difference."

"You can't be. It's-"

"Forbidden, I know. I don't care."

"You have to leave. I must speak with Endymion."

"To tell him what? To send me back clad in a penitential robe?"

"Leave."

"No."

"I will not repeat myself."

"Good," she said and headed back to the door. "So, will you come to my chambers in three hours to escort me to the ball? Otherwise I will ask both Jadeite and Nephrite, and then we'll all dance circles around you."

Instead of answering, he glared at her.

"I'll take that as a yes," she said and slipped through the door, not bothering to shut it behind her. Her soft laugh danced through the corridor, and Kunzite knew that this was a battle he had lost.

**The End**


End file.
